No jacket has traveled further than the bomber: from open-cockpit military necessity to every street-style feed in 2026. Here is the hundred-year story.
1917-1940s: Born in the Cockpit
Early military pilots flew in open, unheated cockpits at freezing altitudes. The US Army's leather flight jackets - culminating in the legendary A-2 - used horsehide and sheepskin, knit cuffs, and a snug waist to trap heat. Function created the silhouette we still wear.
1950s: The Jet Age MA-1
Jet cockpits were cramped, so the military swapped leather for nylon and created the MA-1 with its orange rescue lining. But the leather originals never left - veterans wore them home, and Hollywood put them on every hero.
1986: The Top Gun Effect
One movie put the fur-collared leather flight jacket on the world's most famous face and sales exploded overnight. That exact silhouette - patches, fur collar, aged leather - is what our Top Gun Jacket in Old Look honors, alongside the classic American Pilot with Fur Collar.
1990s-2010s: Streetwear Adoption
Hip-hop, skate culture, and high fashion each claimed the bomber in turn. By the 2010s it was the default cool-weather layer for people who had never touched an aircraft.
2026: The Leather Original Wins Again
The current military-heritage trend has swung back to where it started: leather bombers and aviators with shearling collars. Nylon was a compromise for jet cockpits; on the ground, the leather original is warmer, tougher, and ages infinitely better.
Wearing It Today
Bomber over a hoodie: streetwear. Over a white tee: timeless. Over a knit in winter: the shearling-collar aviator move. Compare silhouettes in our biker vs bomber guide, then browse the full Aviator collection - free shipping, 30-day returns.